e-learning: The prospects and problems of a new didactic relationship

The spread of new technologies is opening up new horizons in education. The potential of e-learning, which can include educational experiences both in and out of the classroom, is growing exponentially as it becomes possible to disseminate knowledge without the need for learners and teachers, who can be thousands of miles apart, to physically come together.

It has been estimated that, in the US, one in four students now receives a wholly electronic education, while the number of new students signing up for programs of this sort is increasing by over 10% per year. This moves electronic education -and distance learning, in general- away from the fringes, making it a dominant trend in education.

E-learning is increasingly making its presence felt in primary and secondary education, too, where it facilitates the preparation and monitoring of schoolwork outside school hours. It also allows special cases to be catered for, including children who are off sick, pupils in far-flung, isolated areas and difficult school environments in which students are prone to violence.

Computers, the Internet and multimedia technologies are becoming core learning tools. The issue here is whether distance learning can in any way replace the relationship between teacher and student on which the educational process has relied for millennia -and if so, to what extent and at which ages? The question becomes more pertinent still, when one considers that major private educational institutions around the world are now turning to new technologies to expand the range of educational tools they offer, but also to reduce their costs.

Two education experts who specialize in new technologies and e-learning will be getting together to discuss the multiple aspects of these new challenges. In so doing, they will also help bring us in Greece, where education is hesitantly facing up to a digital future, up to speed with developments in the English-speaking world, where the learning landscape is already firmly electronic.

This discussion forms part of the “Greek thought in dialogue: Experiential learning programmes” project, which is itself part of the “Academy of Plato: the State and the Citizen” Action implemented within the framework of the Education and Lifelong Learning Programme co-funded by the EU (European Social Fund) and national funds.